


Arc 8: Formal Invitation & Finale

by Subtle_Shenanigans



Series: Sacrifice [11]
Category: The Secret Saturdays
Genre: Comedy, Cutie patooties in the beginning, Death Threats, Dinner Party, Doc and Drew are suave, EVERYTHING IS GREAT, Fancy Dress, Fire, Gen, Guns, I Tried, Morse Code, Orange, Revenge, Suits, Threats, Villain reveal, Violence, What comedy, Zak IS Kur, and then it isn't, awesome zon, bet you weren't expecting that, cheesy???, cliffhangers almost per chapter, finale, formal invitation, hostage, monopoly, some philosophical crap on monsters, stealthy komodo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-23 02:43:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13777980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subtle_Shenanigans/pseuds/Subtle_Shenanigans
Summary: November 24th.The Saturdays attend a formal gathering designated by invitation, where the prestigious, the rich, and the smart have gathered.Namely, Secret Scientists.Old friends are met, and suspicions rise.And one man's intentions are revealed.





	1. Formal Invitation Part 1: The Invite

**Author's Note:**

> Yeeeeee!!!! Finally here to show you this!!!
> 
> Fun fact: Sacrifice began and ended on November 24th - hence the date!!!
> 
> I've always had the villain picked out, and my 'profound' bullcrap in the final part had been planned for awhile.
> 
> Enjoy the ride, my friends.

 

" _I'm wrecking this evening already and loving every minute of it;_

_Ruining this banquet for the mildly inspiring and?  
When you're in black slacks with accentuating, off-white pin-stripes? Whoa-oh._

_Everything goes_

_according_

_to_

_plan."_

_\- 'There's a reason. . .' by Panic! At The Disco ((I couldn't find a decent quote.))_

* * *

 

_Formal Invitation Part 1:_

_The Invite_

* * *

 

The conversation following the finding of the letter was mainly centered around the signed name.

" _The name Neil_ _ **Allen**_ _is way too coincidental."_

" _You think it's connected to Allen Lucienne?"_

" _Remember that Gorillaman here overheard Abby talking to someone called 'Neil'."_

" _So it's more than likely. N.A. changed to A.L. and back?"_

" _So what should we do? Doyle, Wadi, and Ulraj can't go along with us." Doc sighed, rubbing the back of his neck._

_Doyle uncrossed one of his arms as he spoke, pointing his thumb at Wadi and Ulraj. "The way I see it, I'll stay here with these two kiddos, Fisk can hang with us too, and we can send Komodo incognito with you guys. I think this is too important to skip out on - some of your other Science buddies might be there and in danger. Plus, Zon should be back soon; she can hang around the premises."_

_Doc was frowning, unsure._

_Drew nudged him. "You know he's right."_

_Doc sighed. "I know."_

The discussion pretty much ended there.

They didn't have much time - around three weeks to get ready. Anything formal Zak had had, had been destroyed in what was dubbed 'the Canada incident' ( _which, for the_ last  _time, was_ not  _his fault_ ), and Drew had left most of her dresses at home.

( _Plus, they were more for Date Nights or Weddings. She's really prefer something more simple in case there was a confrontation._ )

Doc luckily still had his suit. His only, for-all-situations suit. It's a simple brown-black suit with a chocolate brown tie, and parchment white dress shirt, but it's still in passing condition.

Drew ends up buying a modest, cream-brown dress, that sits nicely on her frame. She chooses some pretty amber jewelry, the necklace curving nicely with the neckline of the dress. She decides to forgo heels, as her dress is long enough to hide some simple sandals.

Zak . . . wasn't sure how to feel about his outfit at first.

His suit was a darker navy color, rather than black, and the undershirt a soft white. But his tie was a bold - but not a screaming - orange, like his eyes could be.

He had always loved orange, ever since he could name colors. He bought orange pants and shirts, or at least wore accents with the color. It had always brought an overwhelming sense of comfort.

But after the whole  _first_  Kur-revealing debacle, he lost his love for it. He felt  _gross_ almost, being this powerful  _monster_. Orange had been  _Kur's_  color, in his mind, and soiled the very hue for him.

But then he missed it. When he finally realized that despite he being  _Kur_ , and that the color associated with the ancient dragon-past life, he was  _Zak_ , and to Zak it was  _his_ color, not some Dragon of old's.

And, well, as he and his parents were prepared to leave, Doyle and the others seeing them out, he was really glad to have gone with an orange tie.

"It really brings out your eyes," Wadi said, as though the sentence had slipped out of her, and she looked at him with slightly rounded eyes.

"Too bad it can't fix your overall appearance," Ulraj teased.

Welp. There went  _that_ moment.

"You sure you guys will be okay here?" Drew asked, checking that her sword was compressed and in her purse. The two boys grappled in the background until Doc pulled them apart.

Doyle grinned. "Absolutely. We'll knock back and play some board games. Maybe eat some 'Mallows or something."

( _Ulraj mouthed ' 'Mallows?' to Wadi and she simply shrugged._ )

"Just keep your communicator close by." Doc fixed his cuffs. "And do  _not_ touch my chips."

"Ew, dad," Zak stuck out his tongue, "No one  _likes_ Vinegar Ranch."

Doc ruffled his hair. "Says the kid who likes Salt and Vinegar." Zak bat his father's hand away and tried to fix his fluffed folicles, hiding a grin.

"Boys, we've gotta go," Drew called. "We're supposed to be there by seven."

Doyle gave Drew a hug, and Doc a pat on the shoulder. After Zak got his hug from him, he last minute gave Ulraj and Wadi a hug together, and then slipped out the door, with an invisible Komodo right behind them.

The door clicked shut and they were left in silence.

"So," Doyle said, clasping his hands. "You kids ever play monopoly."

He got a pair raised eyebrows and eyeridges.

* * *

 

They arrived at seven o'clock on the dot, the sky dark around them. There had been a hall booked, a lone building in the woods. It wasn't far from a main road, nor a town, so emergency facilities could arrive with ease. Though the forest pressed in on most sides.

Upon entering, they saw it was well-lit and furnished. There was a fancy chandelier with what appeared to be candles in its holders, but nothing else was remotely exspensive or as fancy. A table with sophisticated snacks and drink lined the back wall, as well as drinks in chilled containers set up for the adult company, and guests already mingled amongst them. They saw normal Scientists as well as those of the more Secret group, but there was also those obviously of more wealthy origins (and more obnoxious natures) with wives draped on their husbands' arms.

There didn't appear to be any other young teens or children.

But most Scientists in  _these_ fields chose not to have any in the first place.

Zak muttered something unsavory under his breath and Doc gave him a look. "Zak; you know how  _important_ this is. Please don't offend anyone."

He opened his mouth but closed it just as fast, putting his hands in his pockets and sighing; his dad was right. He did tend to get in trouble more often than not and this  _was_ really important. Delicate situations called for his utmost focus.

Which sucks cause it was  _really_ hard.

Zak mostly tuned out of the conversations his parents had, rather letting his brown-orange gaze sweep around to find any subtle movements of Komodo. When he couldn't find the dragon, he let his powers tap the tiniest bit, making his eyes barely spark for the briefest moment.

He was pulled back to the conversation when none other than Miranda Grey appeared before the Saturdays, an obvious limp in her step, but not too bad.

"Saturdays!" She exclaimed. "I wondered if I would find you here!"

"Miranda?" Drew stepped towards her. "You were well enough to come?"

"Of course!" She said, smiling. "Not going to let some silly old injury keep me. Besides, after Arthur called me to see if I had been invited too, I just  _had_ to come."

" _Arthur?_ Arthur Beeman?" Doc and Drew both said, Zak now really tuning in. "We haven't heard from him since he disappeared!" Doc exclaimed.

After the battle with Argost, and his less than favorable method to help that resulted in hurting Zak, he had been expelled from the Circle of Secret Scientists. There had been much fighting on Arthur's part, even from Zak's family, but the decision was ultimately made. The Saturdays, and Miranda's team had tried to seek him out to help him, but he hadn't left a single trace. It was though he didn't exist anymore.

The Saturdays had forgiven him and told him so before hand; he was panicking. He thought he was doing what was best for everyone. Arthur had been a great Babysitter to Zak in the past (he'd been called upon a few times after the Piecemeal incident and before the Kur reveal), and as well had been an ever-loyal friend, so when he was gone there was much concern.

Miranda may have even had past romantic interests in him, as well as being his friend, and his leave was painful for her.

But apparently he was doing well, as just then he strolled up. "Did someone mention me?"

Arthur Beeman looked good; his smile was almost lazy, and his demeanor relaxed. His suit was obviously of higher quality, so much so that Zak almost felt shabby in comparison.

"Doctor Beeman!" Doc gave him a hearty handshake and shoulder clasp, while Drew gave him a quick hug. "It's great to see you!"

Arthur laughed with a following shrug. "Same to you Saturdays! Although, it's just Arthur now. My Doctorate can't be public knowledge anymore."

He gave Miranda a warm hug, and even ruffled Zak's hair. " 'Sup Skunk-do?"

"So what have you been up to?"

"Oh, this and that. I work for a big company now - the pay is great. Can't beat studying the stars though." He glanced up with a wistful shrug.

Doc frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm glad you're doing well."

"Thanks Saturday." Arthur was so different. But Doc could understand. Being a Secret Scientist was a tremendous amount of pressure, especially with the need for secrecy. While it must have been painful to leave, he could imagine the tremendous weight it lifted.

He went on to tell them how he worked in finances for a theoretical technology and pharmaceuticals company - they were working on developing simplified yet efficient prostetics as well as medications for diabetics and blood pressure problems. He even went into a whispered bit sharing that they had a seperate building looking into eradicating and preventing cancer, although they were far from their goal.

"Although I work in finances most of my co-workers like me," he answered with a shrug, when asked how he knew so much. "I don't know  _everything_ , after all."

It was almost surprising to see how happy he was; Doc knew the man to linger on old feelings, and he figured Arthur would have been more dejected about losing his Star-filled dreams. But apparently a decent job and settling back into ordinary life Could do wonders.

Could Doc ever let go of Cryptidzoology like that?

. . .no.

"So how have you been?" Arthur asked Miranda.

"Oh, you know; fixing Deadbolt for the eighteenth time this year. And I've also been-"

The conversation trailed on from there, as more and more guests arrived. Arthur even got to asking the Saturdys about their adventures, which they gladly shared some of, albeit watered down.

But even as they got into the swing of things with their friends, none of the three Saturdays let down their guard.

And soon enough, most of the Scientists they knew - those who had been invited - had arrived.

The party had begun.

 


	2. Formal Invitation Part 2: The Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorrynotsorry.
> 
> YES, there is a reason for this.

 

_Formal Invitation Part 2:_

_The Reason_

* * *

 

There were probably ten Secret Scientists in all, counting Zak's parents and Miranda Grey.

There were also only two others he recognized: Doctor Paul Cheechoo and Doctor Henry Cheveyo.

Their little group of Arthur, Miranda, and themselves went around, greeting and talking with the other Scientists. Zak didn't really chime in except with Doctor Cheechoo, who tended to have a good sense of humor. He did let his attention slip briefly, but really, it was hard for an almost fifteen-year-old to concentrate. It was remarkable that he'd been doing so well in the first place.

At one point Zak noticed the table in the back wobble a bit, and, sure enough, when he flickered his powers it showed Komodo.

He slipped off briefly down the hall when everyone was distracted, and into a storage closet of some kind, with Invisible Komodo right on his tail. After a brief conference, Zak learned from Komodo that while there was an odd scent - like apprehension - he himself hadn't discerned anything.

When Zak slipped back and his dad gave him a questioning look, he just shrugged and said, "Bathroom."

The night wore on, and nothing happened yet.

* * *

 

Back on the airship, things were just as tense, if not more so, than the Formal Party.

" _Yes! $500 for the funny bone!"_

" _No fair!"_

" _You are a cheater, Doyle Saturday! A swindling, cheating cheater!"_

After all, Operation could become quite intense.

Ulraj scowled. "This game is  _boring!_  It's obviously rigged - there's no way it would be this difficult to cut open a body and take out the needed bones!"

He got a pair of dubiously raised eyebrows.

He curled in further, muttering, "At least in  _Kumari Kandem_  it isn't."

Doyle started putting the pieces back in, smiling smugly. "So, up for another round? Or are you two tired of being beat?"

Ulraj looked away huffily, repeating, "This game is  _exceedingly_  boring."

Wadi crossed her arms.

"Well it is not like we can play  _Monopoly_ , anymore."

Ulraj drew his fists down, gills flaring. "That game was  _completely_ illogical! Where's the gain of interest? The Classes? I'm already a King! Why can't I start out with  _more_ than the other players?!"

Fiskerton, who kept dragging out a Chessboard that no one would play, looked at Wadi and Doyle, shrugged, and said, "Hrru drrwno?"

"Well you did not have to  _flip the entire game board_."

"Well  _someone_  had to end that game of stupidity; pay rent for barely  _parking_  on their property, my waterlogged throne."

"Did you  _really_ have to flip the table too?"

". . . yes."

Wadi laid back, disgruntled, and grabbed another marshmallow out of the bowl ( _she'd had them once before, but hadn't know them as 'Mallows. To Ulraj they were an entirely new treat that he was delighted to try, though he couldn't stomach more than three_.) She sighed, mind drifting away from the games. Ulraj was still ranting and Doyle had taken her place in disagreeing with him, though the argument began to taper off.

". . . do you think everything is going well?"

Doyle had laid back to, as had Ulraj after his hissy fit had finished. He stared at the ceiling, worried also, but said casually, "I'm sure it's fine. Zak is a feisty guy and can take care of himself, as can my Sister and her husband. They can take whatever's coming."

No one responded but they hoped it was true.

Because, more often than not, Trouble had a way of finding the Saturdays.

After a few, morose minutes, Fiskerton started chattering again, going so far as to throw a Marshmallow at Ulraj, who leapt up and threw it right back. Fisk pulled a face, and then Ulraj tackled the Lumerian, Wadi laughing all the while. There were some angry chattering and fish noises as the two began to wrestle around, knocking over the game they were all previously engaged in.

Doyle sighed. "Knock it off you two; okay, Fisk. We'll play some chess. As soon as you  _both_ clean up this mess." He indicated to the knocked over games and snack bowls.

Ulraj groaned as the Fiskerton Phantom lept up in jubilation.

"Hray!"

* * *

 

Zak eventually slipped over to the table to munch on some snacks. He grabbed a water bottle, and as he sipped on it, he watched the people around him.

His parents were now with a different Scientist - some older lady who studied strange Geographical and Geological occurrences, or something? - looking about as bored as he would have expected to be. But Zak knew she was a nice Scientist, if a tad overzealous.

Kinda like Arthur, in a way.

Zak felt a twinge of guilt, fingers tightening around the plastic bottle slightly. Arthur  _loved_ being a Secret Scientist and studying Aliens. It was  _everything_ to him, so how could he be just so - so,  _calm_ about it? It puzzled Zak to no end.

But he also knew Arthur wasn't one to hold grudges very long, at least in his experience. He had let go of Zak tricking him with a fake UFO during the Piecemeal incident. And, while he  _had_ heard the colorful language from Arthur at the end of that meeting (some of it had been in Alien tongues, he was sure), Doctor Beeman had left the room no less than looking composed.

. . . though his dad did say he could hold onto old feelings quite long.

But he seemed happy once more.

So maybe he really was okay?

It had been  _well_ over a year, after all.

Zak internally groaned; humans were  _way_  more complicated than cryptids.

Komodo suddenly brushed against him with a little growl-snarl clicking deep in his throat, and when Zak 'sparked' to see what Komodo had been trying to tell him about, he focused.

A few large, burly men were stationed around the building; how Zak hadn't noticed them before was an absolute mystery. They were wearing simple suits, fitting dress-code accordingly, but were obviously fitting in physical prowess of some sort. Not a single one was deeply engaged, rather they were all very alert, and the way they were around the room was as if they were stationed.

Ah; so  _that_  was what Komodo sensed aprehension from.

' _Gotta tell Mom and Dad'_ , he thought, striding towards them quickly but unsuspiciously, with Komodo at his heels.

"Zak!" A hand grabbed his shoulder.

He turned; it was Doctor Beeman - or  _Arthur,_  as he wanted to be called now - his expression bordering on apologetic. He seemed . . .  _awkward_  almost.

"I need to speak with you for a moment."

Zak blinked. "Uh, yeah. Let me just tell my mom, okay?" He gestured towards Drew.

He darted over to Drew, Komodo slithering somewhere else, and she gave him a look. "Sorry went to get some water. Doctor Beeman - er, uh, Arthur, wants to talk to me. Make sure to tell your  _friends_  hi for me."

He stared at a few of them men when he emphasized 'friends', Drew picking up on it after a moment and giving him a nod. "Okay Sweetie; be nice. And remember-"

"Yeah yeah yeah; don't cause any trouble," Zak grumbled playfully. She ruffled his hair, and then he quickly made his way back to Arthur.

"What do you need to talk about Do- er, Arthur?"

"Not here Frankenhair; this way," he punctuated his words by turning and leading him through the crowd and down the hall, where the roar of conversation faded.

Arthur's voice was, well, not  _soft_ exactly, but lighter than his normal tone. "We need to talk about what happened during the War."

' _Battle!'_  Zak's mind furiously screeched, but he kept the thought clamped down, croaking, "Uh, y-yeah." Stupid,  _stupid_  guilt; about so many things surrounding . . . _then_.

_The smell of smoke and scorching-_

He violently shoved the thought away. He was  _done_  with them

They passed the closet Zak had hidden in earlier, and entered an open room where the lights were soft, and a large window showed the view of the surrounding night-draped forest. Zak could feel animals out there, instinctively, but didn't sense many Cryptids.

"You know, I've always loved the stars. Ever since I was a little boy." Arthur's voice was wistful, as he gazed out to see the few shining stars twinkling above. "Nothing means more to me." There was a twinge of something else underneath, though Zak couldn't tell what.

Zak leaned against the sill, taking a shaky breath. He let his forehead touch the chilly glass. "That's how I've always felt about Cryptids. I'm - I'm really sorry Doctor Beeman. I tried, and so did Mom and Dad, but the council wouldn't change their decision."

There was only prickling silence.

Zak felt like Arthur was waiting to hear more, so he obliged. When he spoke his voice fogged the glass for mere seconds before it dissipated, and then fogged once more, and so forth. He looked at the reflection of his own eyes, more brown than orange on the glass

"I know you were only trying to help - and, and that it's unfair what happened. So even if you don't forgive me, I'm really,  _really_ sorry Doctor Beeman."

There was movement behind him.

"You're absolutely right."

Zak's eyes snapped open; Arthur's tone had been off;  _wrong_. He whirled around, his eyes in open shock.

"I don't forgive you."

The man's face was twisted into a snarl, completely opposite of his earlier façade.

Zak smelled smoke, and distantly heard yells, but he was only focused on one thing.

"And I already told you; it's  _Arthur_ , you  _ **monster**_."

He was staring down the silver barrel of a gun.

 


	3. Finalé Part 1: Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I mentioned this on FF: Antagonist DOES NOT mean Evil.  
> Warped or distorted reasons and/or POV? Heck yes. Evil? No.
> 
> There's a reason for this villain - one I hope to explore more in the one-shot, Fester.

 

" _Our natures can define us; we must choose what those are, and what they mean to_ _ **us**_ _. You are kind as long as you strive to be, and as horrific as you allow yourself. Choose good, and act upon it._

_And for those who don't know or can't define; they can still very well end up the hero._

_No one else can define our nature for us." - some more made up stuff by me, SubtleShenanigans_

 

_"Zak... is Kur."  
\- Doc Saturday in Kur: Part One_

* * *

 

_Finalé Part 1:_

_Nature_

* * *

 

As Zak left, Drew took a moment to latch onto Doc like any adoring wife.

But unlike most adoring wives, she tapped on his arm in Morse code:

_(Dot-dash-dot-dot dot dot-dot-dash-dot dash)_

.-.. . ..-. -

_**L E F T** _

Doc took a moment to glance out of the corner of his eye. Then, while still nodding to some stuffy, annoying beneficiary, he let his gaze trail the room. He clasped his hand into Drew's, tapping:

_(dash-dash dot dash-dot)_

\- . -.

_**M E N** _

He took a moment to make a joke that the others laughed at, then turned and smiled at his wife. Their eyes held a brief conversation, to which he outloud said, "Isn't that right, Honey?"

_Am I right?_

She smiled sweetly. "Absolutely."

 _You've got it_.

Conversation delved back into what it originally had been, though the Saturday couple was ever tense. They were making their way towards one of the now-obviously suspicious men in the room, when the night took a turn for the worst.

" _Nobody move!_ "

A smaller man had grabbed a young lady around her neck and pulled her close to him - her jangling necklace and earrings of real diamond and white gold showing her as someone definitely of class. He had a pistol held up to her head, his gaze twitchy as he looked around.

"I'll be taking this dame with me, and keepin' her, unless ya'll can provide me with the necessary figures; unnerstood?"

"Let go of my daughter!" One of the older bureaucrats shouted, held back by what was either his son or son-in-law.

He shoved the gun a little more roughly against the woman, grinning harshly, "Not 'til I get my money, capisce?"

Drew had pulled away from Doc, deftly taking the compressed Firesword out of her bag. Doc too, circled, slipping on his glove and flexing his fingers. In the background the other Secret Scientists began to move, keeping concealed weapons of their own. They'd been in too many sticky situations to not do so.

But before a move could be made there was a gunshot, the armed man going down and clutching his leg, grimacing while blood seeped through his fingers. One of the men Komodo had espied before had pulled out a much larger gun.

"Oh thank you-!" The woman he had saved made as if to go forward stopped suddenly, his gun on her. She backed up as he sneered.

"We don't care about you  _choks_  or your money. The Secret Scientists are to come with us,  _or else_."

Too late they all realized that by arming themselves they had automatically been grouped together - and were easily drawn close. All the burly men were hemming them in, until they were back-to-back.

"What should we do now Doc?" She asked.

"Stall for a minute; I'm contacting the others - at least Zak is safe with Arthur," Doc said, hiding his communicator behind his back and blindly typing with one hand; his non-dominant one. He was confident he'd get the message through though.

Luckily, Miranda Gray proved to be a great distraction. "What is the meaning of this?!" She spat, an electric staff materializing in her hands. She had already hit the call button for Deadbolt, though he was only half-fixed.

 _Chk-chhk!_  One of them brought his gun up, saying with no emotion, "Our employer is pretty upset with you all. Said we could do away with whoever we want - long as we save a few for 'im." A wolfish grin.

"This  _'Neil'_ person?" Doctor Washtda, the older geographicastronomicalologist asked. The older woman was armed with nothing save her purse, which she wielded like a weapon anyways.

" _Sent_ ," Doc whispered.

" _New Zealand_?" Drew murmured back.

" _Heck yeah_."

They powered their weapons, missing the man's response; their fellows were prepared too, and looked at one another and nodded.

" _Now!_ " Doc yelled.

It was simple but brutal; they mainly were aiming to disarm the men, Doctor Washtda grabbing the earlier kidnapper's pistol just in case.

Doc had the first guy he hit out like a light, the glove's power intensifying the hit. It's not like Doc was a light guy, either, so his punches  _really_  packed a punch, with or without the glove.

Drew had her Fire Sword out, the solar power stored from earlier igniting it with a crackling ring of metal. Two of the men before her fled, the third taking his chances and holding the huge gun like a shield.

"Sorry big guy," Drew shrugged, "but that's not gonna do you much good."

_Scchfffwish!_

The two halves of still-warm gunmetal fell from his hands as he fled, only to be knocked down by Komodo with a startled scream.

She took the time to glance around and saw that most of the guests were running screaming, the snack table and drink coolors knocked over and the food trampled.

"Oh yeah;  _definitely_ New Zealand," Drew commented before returning to the chaos.

That had been a fun anniversary.

Miranda jumped with a yell, jabbing a man in the throat with her staff, eliciting a gurgling scream from him as he fell.

"A little much don't you think?" Doc asked, punching his opponent once more on the face. He was pretty sure he broke the guy's nose. Whoops.

Miranda angrily yanked her staff up, face contorted angrily.

"He betrayed us," she said with disgust.

"Who?" Doc shoved a man until he stumbled into Deadbolt, shocking him unconscious.

"Arthur."

" _What?!_ " He turned shocked, ducking as she shoved her staff forwards and hit someone behind him. He watched them fall, commenting, "What do you mean Arthur betrayed us?"

She grunted as she swung at another guy - it seemed there had been reinforcements - stating, "When Doctor Wasdta asked about the Neil guy who invited us - the jack-rabbit said it didn't matter what his name was - Neil, Allen, or Arthur - he intended to take us down."

"But Zak is-" Doc realized with horror.

Miranda's own face mirrored his expression. "Oh no."

Drew had just shaved some of an opponent's hair with a swipe of her sword, the smell of burning follicles caused her to scrunch up her nose in disgust, when she heard Doc calling her. He fought his way over, panting with adrenalin and fear.

"Drew, Drew! It's Arthur!  _Arthur is Neil!_ "

"Oh no. . ." she whispered in horror, a chill climbing up her spine. She looked around wildly, yelling "Zak!  _Zak!_ "

Suddenly, crystal clear through the pandemonium, a gunshot rang out.

And that was about when the fire started.

* * *

 

Zon circled in the forest around the compound, the frosty breeze agitating her scales, but she endured.

The party had been going for a few hours already, some sort of divine sounding classical music arising from it as the aristocracy and those of the lesser known knowledgable world talked and danced the night away in a demure, wistful sense of composure.

. . . Whatever  _that_ meant.

Zon was a simple cryptid, and such fancy-fancy didn't process well with her.

She could smell some sort of fish -  _tuna?!_  - inside, and  _really_ hoped Zak would bring her some. He was a good ch'ck-ling, she was sure he would.

( _She should probably think of him as a youngling, rather, since he was past the stage of nest-rearing and more in that of flight-testing._ )

( _Not that he could actually_ fly  _of course, but Zon had had ch'ck-lings before that left the nest long ago, and Zak was similar in many ways._ )

She shook her head; ruffles of feathery-fur stuff whipping about. Zon needed to be alert. That's what Doyle- _Bl'ckw'll_  said. And Doyle- _Bl'ckw'll_  was good-friend who called her  _J'rass'c_  and gave her pets and fish. She missed Zak-youngling sometimes, but was happy living with his fiery-haired uncle.

. . . And it  _was_ a little easier to be away from the Power of  _K'r_. She trusted Zak without a doubt, but she could feel that power from quite a distance, and after awhile the pin-pricking of it became uncomfortable, especially when he was emotional.

She guessed not all Cryptids felt it the same.

. . . Huh. She could kind of feel it right  _now_  actually. Weird.

But then she smelt smoke, and realized with alarm that there was  _fighting_ going on in there, and- and-

She swooped lower and twisted around, and saw Zak through a large window, arguing with a man holding a  _Bwoosh-click!_  thing, and without a second thought, she dove and crashed through the window in a scream and tinkle of glass, just as the trigger was pulled.

* * *

 

Drew let the rare curse slip out, this one in English, which  _really_ showed how distressed she was.

The fire swept throughout the building, catching fast on the cheap carpet and odd pieces of furniture. She wasn't sure if a candle had fallen from the one chandelier, or if someone had deliberately set the place on fire.

Either way.

" _We have to get to Zak!_ " She shouted, as the roar of fire consuming things grew.

" _But we have to get the others out,_ " Doc yelled back, glancing around in growing uncertainty.

Doctor Gray passed by them. " _You go get Zak! We'll take care of this! Make Arthur pay!_ "

She raced away and with barely a look, Drew and Doc did the same.

The hall had escaped the inferno but it would only be so long before the entrenching crescendo reached them. They crashed through doors finding nothing until the last one at the end of the hall on the right.

It was locked.

They looked at one another. And with a nod, they turned back to the door.

Doc readied his glove and Drew her sword, and then they crashed in.

The door fell beneath their combined desperation, but when they looked up, their hearts fells into their stomachs.

They did not move, not right away, as footsteps echoed behind them and Doyle caught up, the other three nowhere to be seen.

" _Holy moly_. . ."

The room was empty save for Zon in the corner, who lay crumpled in pain and keening softly from the bullet that tore through her wing. Doyle was upon her instantly, murmuring and checking the injury.

"It only tore through the membrane, thank heavens," he sighed.

"But where's Zak?" Drew said, voice choked.

They all looked to the far wall.

Glass spread on the floor before the open window like fallen diamonds, twinkling as the breeze from the open night swept in. There was nothing save the forest beyond, illuminated by the moon.

Nothing, surely, save, Arthur and Zak.

 


	4. Finale Part 2: Zak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From FF: Please keep in mind that Zak is still a kid for Saori's sake. This is a lot going on and I imagine Zak a more emotionally-oriented person, as I've tried to show in this fic.
> 
> Frick; okay this chapter kind of goes into a tangent I apologize.
> 
> A bit *Spoilerish* but I'm not disputing the reincarnation thing; instead I'm referring to a view of self. Zak has always seen himself and Kur as two separate beings, even when he 'realized' he was Kur. He felt that meant he had to be like Kur of old; he didn't completely understand that he had always been himself. Always. May not be explaining well.

 

_Finale Part 2:_

_Zak_

* * *

 

" _I know I'm Kur. . . . I am_ not  _a monster." - Zak Saturday, S2E6_

* * *

 

"W-what?"

If there is one thing Zak knows about Human Nature, it's that they're unpredictable.

He'd been tricked.

He had been  _betrayed._

Arthur was trembling, but quickly controlled it. "For the past  _year_  I've thought -  _dreamed_ \- about this moment. I never forgave you nor any of those idiots."

Zak had left The Claw back on the airship, he realized, not having a way to conceal it. At least Wadi had it.

His heart pounded in his chest.

"It was beyond unfair - it was  _cruel_. I've saved the world more times than almost any Secret Scientist, and they  _expel_ me? For trying to  _save them?!_  Your life isn't worth more than the world," he snarled.

Zak's mouth went dry and his limbs felt cold.

Arthur said something else, more than likely justifications for his actions, reasonings as to why Zak deserved this, but Zak didn't hear anything besides his shaky breathing and the electrified blood pumping through his body; he felt like a cornered animal, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and a growl in his chest.

Any animal knows, even the biggest predator, that you don't want to be cornered by a human.

And though Cryptids can think in the same way as humans usually, they have enough instinct to fear them too.

And Zak couldn't hold the tremble that spread through him at the sight of the gun barrel, and no means of escape.

He was trapped.

Dr. Beeman's grin twitched. He tightened his grip on the gun. "You get it now, brat?"

There was no way he could completely dodge; he wasn't fast enough. He'd at least be clipped at this range, and it was only a matter of time before he was shot at again.

( _and again and again and **again** -_)

" _You ruined everything - it's better to kill a monster like you before you can do anymore damage._ "

He felt a spark of anger at the hated word, eyes blazing momentarily with emotion, but fear coiled within him stronger as Arthur pulled the trigger.

There was an echoing crash as Zon smashed through the window, her wing springing out and knocking Zak out of the way just as the bullet tore through it. She shrieked, and Zak heaved a choked sob of  _'Zon!'_ while Arthur swore loudly.

But he didn't have time to help her as her next keening sound sent him scrabbling out the window, fear leading him forward as his mind screamed at him for cowardice; he felt no hesitation though as her words were clear.

_Run!_

Zak took off through the woods, hearing Arthur not far behind him. The man was relentless with rage and hatred. Zak was spurned on, blindly running with icy terror running down his spine and harsh breath misting from his mouth. His clothes caught on clawed branches and thorns; he darted past trees that obscured so much light even his enhanced vision had trouble seeing, even with his eyes glowing.

But that meant Arthur could see even less.

When Zak finally found a place to hide he hunkered down, holding back sobs at the utter betrayal and pain lacing his heart. He brought his knees up to hide his face, the glow dissipating but dry tears taking their place.

_This really is all your fault._

* * *

 

"So what are we going to do?" Doyle asked, still patching Zon up. "They need help inside, but someone has to go after Zak and that - that  _lunatic_."

For once they were all on the same page; this wasn't some random bystander, or some voracious cryptid. This was a very  _dangerous_   **human**  who they had  _known_ and  _trusted_. Would Zak be able to cope with that; would he be able to fight someone who wanted to  _kill_  him? Zak was barely fifteen! This wasn't like when all the Secret Scientists wanted to put him in a freeze chamber to save time - there had been no killing intent; no deep-seated sense of betrayal. They had to do something and do it  _ **now.**_

Drew was pacing, agitated. "I have an ice setting on the sword, but. . ."

Doc's voice was firm. "Then go help inside. I know you want to find him Drew but I can  _handle_  this." He gave her a stern look which softened as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll get our boy back."

When they parted and she ran inside, he looked at his brother-in-law, inquiring, "Doyle?"

The redhead didn't even look up. "Go on big guy; I'll catch up with ya. Need to go look for the three amigos while I'm at it. They probably wandered off or something." His voice dropped low as he murmured to himself. ". . .like me when I was their age. Hooligans."

Doc was out the window in a matter of moments, running into the woods in hopes of intercepting Arthur.

Doyle sighed, hand on his forehead after he had helped Zon. "You're all patched now Jurassic, though you won't be able to fly for awhile." His eyes focused on his hand and vision trembled as he saw the blood on his fingers.

"I hope you're okay Miniman." He mumbled. Then, closing his eyes he said it once more, like a prayer.

"I hope you're okay."

* * *

 

Zak sat hunched, hiding.

 _Coward_ , his mind whispered.

But for once instinct and logic both whispered for him to run and hide, but stand and fight. Emotion was being dominated by  _fear_ , and it clouded his judgement and gut-feeling.

For once in his life, he had no idea what to do.

Fight back? He could  _die_. And this was different than the Owlman, or Rani Naga, or even Argost. This wasn't something he could fight with Cryptid powers, or clever tactics. He was alone out here.

He took a shaky breath, composing himself.

He could wait for backup, he supposed. But at what cost? He growled suddenly. His family could be hurt. He suddenly remembered first discovering he was Kur, and feeling guilt over everything that had happened.

He remembered Dad's eye.

He remembered Fiskerton's Lumerian nightmares and visions.

The terror of Tsul'Kalu.

The Secret Scientists hunting him and the bruises and cuts they all sported afterwards.

The town that had been destroyed; the people hurt; the Cryptids captured and killed and maimed.

Was that all he was? Some beast destined to hurt others? Or a coward stupid enough to get others hurt  _because_ of him?

No.

He couldn't do that again.

He couldn't let someone else get hurt because of him.

And

_**Monster.** _

_Arthur glaring at him with hatred._

_Rani Naga laughing and little creatures as well as big cowering before him-_

_-the smell of smoke and flesh and dust from mortar and brick and bones filling the air._

he wasn't about to prove  _them_  true.

He forced himself to stand, fist clenched. And then to walk. And then, to search, as resolve scorched through himself and he remembered The Curr-ai're Malay's words:

" ' _Become Zak, the Kur of this era.' "_

And, for an instant, he thought he heard Nahga's hissing and Sabisaline's purr, saying:

' _Kurrr isss not a monssterr. He isss a prrotectorr.'_

He ran, but this time, he didn't run away.

* * *

 

Arthur had been surprisingly easy to find.

" _Well_?" Ulraj stage-whispered. " _We found sir crazy; where's Zak_?"

" _ **I**_ _do not know_ ," Wasi grumbled. " _This was_ your  _brilliant plan._ "

They had arrived with Doyle in time to see people streaming out of the building, and two figures bolt from the back. In a split decision they chose not to follow Doyle inside, and instead go after the armed figure and Zak.

. . .yeah, not their best plan, admittedly.

Fiskerton chose to stay quiet, tracking the ex-Scientist with all his senses. He flinched when a shot rang out and some animal in the woods ran off; obviously not Zak.

The other two continued arguing quietly. ". . .  _He has a gun, Ulraj! A gun! We cannot fight him! There is no good cover, there is no chaos to distract him; we would be open targets! I say we find Zak and get out of here._ "

" _But what if Zak's nearby? We can't let this guy get him._ "

Wadi glanced around fearfully. But before she could respond, Fiskerton clamped a furry hand over each of their mouths. His red eyes were wide as Arthur passed by them silently.

After some tense seconds, they loosened up, Ulraj nodding to Wadi as they began to back away.

Suddenly, something creaked, and they all froze in horror.

" _Got you, you little-"_

" _Run!_ " Ulraj yelped.

Arthur grabbed for one of them, immediately recognizing them as that  _thing's_ friends, but he barely grazed past Wadi's arm as the three of them bolted. He didn't dare let off shots; he wanted to save them for  _Kur_ , but he  _did_ want to catch one of them to use as bait.

Luckily for them and not him, they got away.

Fisk climbed a tree while the other two hared through the forest. He hoped they would be okay.

One of his ear tufts twitched as he caught the sound of voices, and he began to make his way over, heart still in his throat.

He recognized the other voice.

It could only be his adopted brother, Zak.

* * *

 

Zak had just caught the faint yelling, his keen hearing able to recognize the voices after a few heartbeats.

His blood froze.

 _No_!

He raced forward, but instantly slowed near the area. He didn't see them, and he'd be more likely to save them if he didn't run head-long into a trap.

He scrabbled up a tree, exhaustion catching up with him. Adrenalin couldn't last forever. He sat on a bough completely still, eyes carefully roaming through the woods.

There!

Arthur was alone, that much was sure. He still held the gun in his hand, glasses flashing with moonlight. Zak stayed stock still as Arthur came back his way, muttering to himself.

Instinct welled up in him, stronger than ever. It was now or never; he had no Claw, no backup, and no use for his powers. If he could drop on Arthur enough to knock the gun away, Zak could maybe do hand-to-hand against him.

At least he would have a better chance.

But just as he leapt the branch creaked, and Arthur looked up. He threw his arm out in time to knock Zak away to the side where he smacked his back into the tree hard, Arthur leering down at him with the gun set to shoot.

"Bye  _monster_."

And it would have been goodbye if it hadn't been for a silent Fiskerton leaping on Arthur's back and getting him in a choke-hold.

While Zak would have grinned, he instead saw Arthur change the direction of the gun in what he thought Fiskerton's head would be, prepared to shoot again.

" _No!_ "

The gun went off with a mighty  _bang!_  but Fisk, startled, had fallen off and been missed. The impact sent him reeling enough that his head hit the ground sharply and sent him into a daze.

Arthur huffed, neck starting to bruise. "Now that  _that's_ over-"

As he turned he was met with a furious boy leaping at him wildly, eyes alight with unnatural, burning fire that trailed off with essence. Claws grappled across his face and the gun fell from surprise. Arthur fell onto his back and the two grappled when he regained his wits

Arthur was certainly bigger, but Zak wasn't fully human.

A punch from the man as Zak bit him, clawing with all his might. Dust rose beneath them as neither could see, nightdark and dirt clouding their vision. Zak received a punch in the eye, and Arthur had nails like claws ripping through his flesh.

Zak may have been filled with protective fury, but Arthur was filled with  _hatred_.

And he could have won, holding Zak down in an attempt to crush his ribs, had Zak's hand not landed on the rock.

_Smack!_

Suddenly Arthur was on his back with blood pouring out of the wound on his head.

As he tried to catch his breath while Arthur lay dazed, Zak's fingers landed on something else, cold and metallic.

When Arthur's vision cleared, he found himself beaten.

Zak stood over him with the gun, his hand shaking.

The man before him glared with such hatred, such malice and wild fury, that he  _knew_ this wasn't Arthur Beeman; this couldn't be his parents' fellow colleague who they would talk fondly about, if at times exasperated; this couldn't be the somewhat annoying, but  _trustworthy_ , man who was allowed to babysit Frisk and he not-so-long ago as younger children.

 _This_  was someone else, changed by hatred and greed.

And, in that moment, he felt something for Arthur he had never felt for a human before:

Pity.

Pity because Arthur couldn't move on; pity because he had made wrong choices - only to be given the worst for it.

Pity, because, in a way, he felt sympathy. He knew what it meant to be changed beyond recognition.

He didn't lower the gun, but he didn't shoot either.

Kur was dead. Kur had always been dead. He may have some memories; some lingering feelings and instincts. But the entity, the  _being_ that was Kur himself, was  _dead_.

He was Kur only in the sense of a title; a position, due to his powers.  _Kur_ was no more than a title like  _King_ or  _Lord_  or  _Mom_  or  _Dad_. That title held a lot; how it was said was an indication of the person themselves, but it was no more than that.

He couldn't be Kur; not Kur of old.

Because he was Zak.

And he had always been Zak.

And unlike the creature who was no longer him, even, if, at one time it  _had_ been him, Zak wouldn't put unnecessary blood on his hands.

Arthur blamed a dead creature; blamed dust and bones and bad memories because Zak was  _not_ a monster.

He was just Zak.

" _Well?_ " Arthur snarled, the blood on his teeth gleaming darkly. His black hair fell greasily onto his face.

He barely looked human.

And he called  _Zak_ a monster.

Zak just stared coolly at him. "I'm not going to shoot you. I mean, if you move I might because, honestly? I'm pretty nervous right now and I might accidentally pull the trigger."

Arthur sneered, but said nothing more. His eyes said enough.

"Zrak?" Fiskerton asked, reeling as he made his way to him. "Hrrert?"

"I'm fine, Fisk," he breathed, "it's over."

He looked once more into Arthur Beeman's eyes, until the older man had to look away.

"It's over."

* * *

 

_Some Months later_

After Zak had beaten Arthur, his Dad had arrived non-too-soon with police men in tow.

Luckily someone at the party had called the police, and by time they arrived the hired men had been subdued and the fire put out. Drew had immediately gone out to find Doc, some of the officers leaving with her, and as they split they found different things.

Drew had caught up with Doyle and Zon (who was walking), who in turn had found Ulraj and Wadi. By time they made it back, an ambulanceman had a blanket around Zak's shoulders and Arthur was already cuffed up and in the back of a car, looking at quite a few sentences stacked up.

Fisk had refused to let go of his brother, so both of them were subjected to multiple, clingy hugs from Wadi and Ulraj  _as well_ as his mom. Despite everything that happened, Zak was oddly calm, most likely from shock.

He chose not to tell them about the inner peace about himself he had found 'cause boy that would sound weird after everything that had happened.

They did have to attend the trial, which was uncomfortable for Zak (especially since he had begun to have bad dreams after about three weeks), but he understood the importance of it. It was a special trial, too, for those who knew about the Secret Scientists and other organizations.

Besides the obvious attempted murder of an adolescent thing going on, Arthur had been charged with multiple other offenses, including theft of money. He had been slipping extra out while keeping the finances seeming orderly, in order to fund multiple parties like Abbey Grey, which all led to his plan to kill Zak and the Secret Scientists who had been invited.

One man had died from smoke inhalation; the older man whose daughter had been held captive briefly. Multiple people, too, had been injured; It was ruled that the fire had been started by one of the hired thugs, adding to their prison sentence.

They all had revived a long, long sentence.

Eventually things cooled down and both Wadi and Ulraj had to return home; the former giving Zak a kiss on the cheek, and the latter trying to do the same as Zak fought him off. Weirdos.

He waved to them as Maboul took Wadi home and Ulraj just sort of . . . dived into the sea.

He wiped 'seaspray' off his face, claiming he wasn't crying.

It hurt to see them go so soon, but he understood that their family and people had been missing them and were worried sick,  _especially_ after this.

Doyle and Zon stayed longer though, Doc agreeing with false reluctance.

Life fell back into a routine since then; allowing himself to heal (he had been bruised badly and fractured two ribs), dealing with Cryptids and getting into mischief with his brothers. Doyle and Zon too caused mischief, which Doc berated him for and Drew laughed about.

It felt . . . good.

"Whatchya thinking about?"

Wadi plopped next to him in the sand, her accent pulling weirdly but nicely at the word. Ulraj was right behind and sat on Zak's opposite side, idly letting sans run through his webbed fingers.

They had met up at a remote beach this day, the sky overcast but well worth it to see his friends. Maboul and Malloe had both come along to keep an eye on Wadi and Ulraj respectively. Fiskerton was trying to toss Zon somewhere to make her fly, to which she enlisted Komodo's help to chase him around.

Zak glanced up at the sky, the gray making the orange in his brown eyes surface. "Nothin' much; just the last few months. It's been crazy, huh?"

Ulraj slung an arm around Zak's shoulder. "When are things  _not_ crazy with you, my friend? I think it  _just_  may be your middle name."

Zak playfully shoved him off, Wadi laughing beside him.

"Knock it  _off_ , fishface!"

"Make me,  _landdweller!_ "

Before they could begin wrestling in the sand, Wadi threw sand at them both, the clammy breeze whipping it at them.

" _Hey!"_

" _Not cool!"_

Wadi chortled, "Oh knock it off you two! Besides, we will have plenty of crazy days in the future; I think it is  _all_ of our middle names."

Zak sling his arms around both of them and pulled them closer, looking both of them in the eyes, and then gazing out at the endless gray sea.

"You know, I think you're both right. To even crazier days ahead!"

"To crazy days!"

"Are you sure even crazier is a  _good_  idea?"

They both looked at Ulraj, and then one another, laughing, until he too was swept up in it and the sky filled with their raucous joy.

The adults winced where they sat watching.

"Should we be worried?" Mallow asked, grimacing.

"My daughter is a thief, your young friend a teen King, and that boy a Saturday," Maboul deadpanned while eating a Sandwich. "What do you think?"

Drew and Doc looked at the kids, then smiled at one another. Doc went for a bottle of soda, saying, "I think they'll be just fine."

"After all, you said it," he said warmly.

"She  _is_ a thief,  _he's_ a king, and  _Zak's_ a Saturday; why wouldn't they be?"

* * *

" _Sometimes, we have to sacrifice pride to forgive others._

_Sometimes we have to sacrifice dignity, to forgive ourselves._

_Sometimes sacrifice is something big; like our life for another._

_But Sacrifice is_ _**never** _ _for nothing." -Subtle Shenanigans, October 18, 2017 Wednesday._

**And this, my friends, is**

**THE END**


End file.
